In a Feb. 18 statement, the Brussels-based chemicals supplier said it had filed the complaint with the Beijing intellectual property court on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary, Cytec Industries Inc., and its Polymer Additives business unit “following a lengthy investigation.”

Solvay maintains that the allegation has been verified by independent laboratory analysis.

The Belgian company said it had approached Tiangang several months ago “to begin amicable discussions to resolve the matter”.

However, Tiangang “refused to engage in a substantive dialogue,” forcing Solvay to adopt legal channels to protect its patent rights.

“While we welcome competition, we have zero tolerance for companies that infringe our intellectual property,” said Domenico Romanino, senior vice president of Polymer Additives at Solvay.

Protecting patents, added Romanino, would ensure a level playing field for all market participants.

“As an innovative company, Solvay will not hesitate to leverage its patents when necessary since these are the vehicles that promote invention and, ultimately, the development of new products that bring benefit to our customers around the world,” he concluded.

Solvay’s Cyasorb THT product line includes UV stabilizers that also offer thermal protection.

Products in the Cyasorb THT are patented under ZL99805659.6 (CN1154685C).